Citrix DaaS

Why Citrix DaaS?

Virtual desktops are a decision about where the IT infrastructure ends: whether a workstation is a device you manage, or a session you deliver to whatever device the person happens to have. DaaS moves the management plane to the vendor and leaves you the part that still has to be designed — capacity, images and the network in between.

Self-managed VDI needs more than hardware — it needs someone who knows, in the morning, why the pools did not come up. Self-managed VDI requires significant IT resources. Traditional desktops don’t scale for distributed workforce. Cloud complexity grows with each provider.

Citrix DaaS is Desktop as a Service with cloud-managed control plane and resource locations anywhere. HDX protocol ensures the best user experience. Multi-cloud support with AWS, Azure, GCP and on-premises.

From a security standpoint the key point is that data stays in the data centre and only an image is rendered on the end device. What that changes — and what it does not solve — is covered below.

How does it work?

Cloud Control Plane

Citrix manages infrastructure:

• Management in Citrix Cloud
• Automatic updates and patches
• Monitoring and analytics
• Configuration database
• Brokering and session management

Resource Locations

Your workloads, your location:

• On-premises datacenter
• AWS EC2 instances
• Azure Virtual Machines
• GCP Compute Engine
• Hybrid across all

HDX Delivery

Optimized user experience:

• Adaptive transport
• Multimedia redirection
• Sub-second latency
• Peripheral support
• WAN optimization

Main Features

Virtual Desktops

• Pooled (non-persistent)
• Personal (persistent)
• Random and static assignment
• GPU support (NVIDIA, AMD)
• Windows 10/11 multi-session

Virtual Apps

• Published applications
• Seamless windows
• File type association
• Application streaming
• Multi-user sessions

Auto-Scaling

• Schedule-based scaling
• Load-based scaling
• Burst to cloud
• Power management
• Cost optimization

Workspace Integration

• Single portal for users
• SSO to all apps
• Unified search
• Notifications
• Mobile access

DaaS vs On-Premises VDI

	Citrix DaaS	On-Prem CVAD
Management	Citrix Cloud	Self-managed
Updates	Automatic	Manual
Infrastructure	Citrix	Customer
Scaling	Auto-scaling	Capacity planning
Pricing	Subscription	Perpetual + support

Deployment Topologies

Cloud-Only:

• Resources in AWS/Azure/GCP
• Full cloud management
• Fastest deployment
• OpEx model

Hybrid:

• On-prem + cloud resources
• Single management plane
• Burst capacity
• Gradual migration

On-Premises Resources:

• Control in cloud, resources on-prem
• Reduced management overhead
• Data sovereignty
• Leverage existing infra

Who is it for?

• Enterprise without dedicated VDI team
• Organizations with multi-cloud strategy
• Companies needing rapid deployment
• IT wanting reduced management overhead

Benefits

For IT: Cloud-managed, auto-updates, reduced infrastructure burden

For users: HDX experience, any device access, seamless apps

For business: Predictable costs, rapid scaling, business continuity

Specifications

Management	Citrix Cloud
Resources	On-prem, AWS, Azure, GCP
Protocol	HDX
Clients	Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, Web

VDI as a data access control mechanism

Virtual desktops solve a problem that is hard to address any other way: data stays in the data centre and only an image is rendered on the end device. For remote work, contractors and personal hardware that is a real change in risk profile.

• Data does not leave the environment. Losing a laptop stops being a data breach. This is one of the few cases where an infrastructure choice directly removes a class of risk.
• Side channel control. Clipboard, drive redirection and printing are where data still gets out. Default settings tend to be too permissive.
• An access gateway exposed to the internet. This component is publicly visible, so multi-factor authentication is not optional here. The history of vulnerabilities in remote access gateways shows they are actively exploited.
• Privileged sessions. A virtual desktop for administrators separates administrative work from the everyday environment — and allows it to be recorded and controlled.

We test gateway resilience through penetration testing, with ongoing oversight from our SOC.

FAQ

How does DaaS differ from Virtual Apps and Desktops? DaaS has control plane in Citrix Cloud - Citrix manages management infrastructure. CVAD is full self-managed on-prem.

Where is my data in DaaS? User data remains in your resource locations - on-prem or in chosen cloud. Citrix Cloud stores only metadata.

Can I use existing infrastructure? Yes. DaaS can use existing hypervisors, storage and networking on-premises.

How does auto-scaling work? Cloud Connectors communicate with Citrix Cloud. Scaling policies trigger power actions and machine creation automatically.

Do I need NetScaler? No. Citrix Gateway Service is included. NetScaler optionally for advanced requirements.

What editions are available? DaaS Standard, Advanced, Premium. Differences in features like MCS, PVS, security add-ons.

Can I migrate from CVAD? Yes. Same VDAs work with DaaS. Control plane migration without resource layer change.

How does pricing work? Per user/device subscription. Monthly or annual commitment.

Does DaaS support GPU? Yes. NVIDIA vGPU for professional graphics, AMD for select scenarios.

What does support look like? Citrix 24/7 for DaaS platform issues. nFlo offers deployment and ongoing management.